Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashes near Kazakhstan's Aktau, 28 survivors reported (Lead)

Almaty, Dec 25 A passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines from Baku to Grozny crashed near the Kazakh city of Aktau on Wednesday, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) said.

The Embraer 190 aircraft with flight number J2-8243 crashed near Aktau Airport. The ministry reported 28 survivors in the incident, with rescue operations ongoing.

There were 67 people on board, including 62 passengers and five crew members, Azerbaijan Airlines said on X.

According to Kazakh media reports, the passengers on board included 37 citizens from Azerbaijan, 16 from Russia, six from Kazakhstan, and three from Kyrgyzstan.

The initial cause of the tragedy appears to be a bird strike, Xinhua news agency reported.

The MES dispatched 52 personnel and 11 units of equipment to the site, where the aircraft was found to be on fire.

The Embraer 190 aircraft is designed to carry between 96 and 114 passengers, depending on its cabin configuration. The aircraft can fly up to 4,500 km.

According to FlightAware, the aircraft took off from Baku 11 minutes ahead of schedule. While flying over the Caspian Sea, it issued an emergency signal.

Azerbaijani media reported that the aircraft was unable to obtain permission to land in Grozny due to fog, leading it to be redirected to Makhachkala and later to Aktau.

Online flight tracking apps showed the plane flying over the Caspian Sea and heading towards its destination, in Chechnya. As the plane entered Russia's territorial borders, it started circling near the airport. Following this, it requested an emergency landing.

At 6:28 am local time, the plane crashed a few kilometres away from the airport.

According to FlightRadar24, the plane was exposed to "strong GPS jamming, which made the aircraft transmit bad ADS-B data."

Azerbaijan Airlines has assured that more information will be provided, while local authorities and emergency services are investigating the crash.